Hike of the Week : Pear Lake
Pear Lake
"Taste this Sweet Hike"
by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin
Quick Facts
Location: Central Cascades, Henry M. Jackson Wilderness
Land Agency: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Roundtrip: 12 miles
Cumulative Elevation gain: 2,300 feet
Access: From Lake Wenatchee, WA head west on FR 65. Proceed to FR 6701 past Theseus Creek Campground. Continue on FR 6701-500 to Trailhead for Trail No. 1506.
Notes: NW Forest Pass Required
Green Trails Map: Benchmark Mtn, No. 144 or part of the Pass Country Map Pack
Here’s the “scoop” on the Henry Jackson Wilderness. It’s a pristine land 100,000 acres strong-teeming with alpine meadows and twinkling with alpine lakes. Northern neighbor the Glacier Peak Wilderness often causes hikers to overlook the Jackson. That’s all the better for solitude seekers and wildlife watchers. Sure, there are a few places in the Jackson that get trampled-but there’s plenty of quiet corners-and come late fall they’re even quieter. That’s of course if you don’t include the resident bugling elk.
Smack dab in the middle of the Jackson lie a half-dozen aquatic gems dominated by a lake named Pear. Ironically, of the four ways to get here, the shortest route via Top Lake is the least traveled. Could it be because it requires a long drive (and slightly obscure trailhead) for those who venture from the state’s populated centers? Perhaps, but this trail is no bad apple. It’s a good pick-well maintained and a pleasure to hike.
Immediately enter an old-growth forest. Buzz around Shoofly Mountain, and then ascend the southern slopes of Fall Mountain. Good views south, but none hint that there are lakes down there. That soon changes with Top Lake greeting you after a steep drop from Fall. It’s now a stroll through gentle meadows to the Pacific Crest Trail. Turn north and head for Canada. Pear Lake lies ¾ of a mile ahead. A bushel of good campsites line its shore. Are you in the market to sample more lakes? Over the ridge to the west as luck would have it, are the Fortune Ponds.
South of Pear is Peach. Route finding may be fuzzy. The way to nearby Grass Lake is more cut and dried. The lake’s themselves all make for fine destinations, but the surrounding countryside begs to be explored. If your route-finding skills are well-honed, ascend the steep and open slopes of Fortune Mtn. From this 5,903-foot summit you’ll strike it rich with views-your effort won’t be fruitless. Peach and Pear are right below.
"Taste this Sweet Hike"
by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin
Quick Facts
Location: Central Cascades, Henry M. Jackson Wilderness
Land Agency: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Roundtrip: 12 miles
Cumulative Elevation gain: 2,300 feet
Access: From Lake Wenatchee, WA head west on FR 65. Proceed to FR 6701 past Theseus Creek Campground. Continue on FR 6701-500 to Trailhead for Trail No. 1506.
Notes: NW Forest Pass Required
Green Trails Map: Benchmark Mtn, No. 144 or part of the Pass Country Map Pack
Here’s the “scoop” on the Henry Jackson Wilderness. It’s a pristine land 100,000 acres strong-teeming with alpine meadows and twinkling with alpine lakes. Northern neighbor the Glacier Peak Wilderness often causes hikers to overlook the Jackson. That’s all the better for solitude seekers and wildlife watchers. Sure, there are a few places in the Jackson that get trampled-but there’s plenty of quiet corners-and come late fall they’re even quieter. That’s of course if you don’t include the resident bugling elk.
Smack dab in the middle of the Jackson lie a half-dozen aquatic gems dominated by a lake named Pear. Ironically, of the four ways to get here, the shortest route via Top Lake is the least traveled. Could it be because it requires a long drive (and slightly obscure trailhead) for those who venture from the state’s populated centers? Perhaps, but this trail is no bad apple. It’s a good pick-well maintained and a pleasure to hike.
Immediately enter an old-growth forest. Buzz around Shoofly Mountain, and then ascend the southern slopes of Fall Mountain. Good views south, but none hint that there are lakes down there. That soon changes with Top Lake greeting you after a steep drop from Fall. It’s now a stroll through gentle meadows to the Pacific Crest Trail. Turn north and head for Canada. Pear Lake lies ¾ of a mile ahead. A bushel of good campsites line its shore. Are you in the market to sample more lakes? Over the ridge to the west as luck would have it, are the Fortune Ponds.
South of Pear is Peach. Route finding may be fuzzy. The way to nearby Grass Lake is more cut and dried. The lake’s themselves all make for fine destinations, but the surrounding countryside begs to be explored. If your route-finding skills are well-honed, ascend the steep and open slopes of Fortune Mtn. From this 5,903-foot summit you’ll strike it rich with views-your effort won’t be fruitless. Peach and Pear are right below.
